Vladimir Gideon
Vladimir Gideon (ブラヂマー ジDヨン Buradimaa Jidyon), more often referred to by his surname "Gideon", is a member of the Magic Council, and one of their Rune Knights. Despite being only a young man, Gideon is well respect within the Magic Council, even by Alexis herself, who sees him as the loyal type she can rely on to get a task finished. Appearance Gideon takes on the appearance of a young, physically fit, albeit lean-figured man in his teenage years. His common disposition is that of a rather lazy, somewhat stoic man, which can be attributed in part to his socially awkward nature that was developed as he grew up. His stature is quite average for a man his age, and his build is surprisingly muscular despite looking almost skeletal and fragile on the outside, thanks to his training as a younger man; looking more youthful than what he should be due to his face's round structure, along with his rather childish facial features, ironic considering his growth. To compliment this, he holds surprisingly bright blue eyes, which contrast quite well with his multi-toned brown hair that goes darker as one goes closer to his single 'ahoge' strand near the center of his head. He wears a black jacket, lines with silver across the entirety of it, and two long red bars of sorts across the center of the sleeves, and an unusual square-like patterned finish at the bottom of the jacket which is colored in purple. Underneath this, he wears a slight grey dress, short-sleeved dress shirt which is lined with a darker grey at the edges, allowing for a sense of contrast. For lower-body wear, he wears a pair of red slacks with four pockets, two above his knees, two just below them. Finally, he wears a pair of lachrima-enhanced shoes, which are a violet color of sorts that reach up just above his ankle; instead of laces they are tied up with buckles and finish off with red soles. As for accessories, Gideon generally wears a pair of black fingerless gloves with a unique diamond-like insignia on them, a similarly themed necklace and a strap of sorts that hangs down near his waist, which is part of his rather long belt. Personality Vladimir can be easily described as unenthusiastic, preferring to simply lay back and relax, watching time as it passes by. In fact, he prefers to avoid getting into situations that require overexertion, such as battle, at all, and is only a Rune Knight because his parents forced him to make use of his considerable talent. Vladmir is a young man who seems to be unenthusiastic about damn near everything. He prefers not to get involved in strenuous activities, pretending to be busy to avoid responsibility. He also does not like fighting, deeming it, as he does to most things; however, when he has to do battle, he will actually put effort into it. He is fully aware of this side of his personality—often using it as an excuse to not allow Alexis to choose him in order to do her dirty work. However, when duty calls, Vladmir has a strong moral compass and sense of commitment towards his mission. Even though, by his own testimony, he lacks bravery, he will sacrifice himself and face almost certain death, for the sake of his organization without a second thought; something that Deen Lhant, the commander of the Rune Knights in Daybreak actually looked down upon, believing that family and bonds were more important than any job. Because of his raw leadership skill, he was chosen to be a high ranking Rune Knight; even so despite his laziness, Vladimir is shown to be an efficient leader, commanding his subordinates with ease, inspiring undying loyalty within them. Vladimir is known to be somewhat of a bookworm; more often than not being seen reading a book in all of his appearances. Whenever Alexis hands him paperwork, Vladimir has the habit of hiding one of his own books underneath the work so she can't see him lazing around. Amusingly, Vladimir's motto seems to be "I'll do it later", and more often than not he sticks true to these words every time. History Equipment CW-AIM07X: Ghirarga (グヒラーガ, Guhiraga): The Ghiraga is a mass-produced version of the Balmung of Gary Straights, which is an Earth Land weapon; once a unique weapon, it has now become a staple of the Magic Council's standard equipment; developed by Caledfwlch Techniques as a AIM Armament (AIM武装 AIM Busō); which is a series of weapons manufactured by Caledfwlch Techniques for the Magic Council's Rune Knights; the primary function of the AIM series is to counteract the effects of magic. The abbreviation "AIM" presumably stands for "A'nt'i-'M'''agic"; however, AIM can also stand for '''An Involuntary Movement' (無自覚 Mujikaku, lit. "No Awareness"); meaning that the weapon is at the pinnacle of power. It is shaped like an armoured zanbatō; albeit slightly mechanical in nature, with a crimson Lacrima near the hilt which is charged with Fire Magic—additionally, it possesses exhaust ports that replace the pommel. Its immense size also allows for use a shield against some attacks, and its power has; on at least one occasion been shown to be enough to cut through one of its own blast-attacks sent back at it. The Lacrima powers the engine-esque appearance of the blade by channeling Gideon's own magic into it; this causes the motors to begin running, thus causing it to become enveloped in flames—as the main blade of the Ghirarga erupts a condensed trail of flames, this opens the exhaust ports on the pommel of the blade, boosting Gideon's speed to the point that he appears as nothing but a crimson shimmer of energy when in motion. This allows Gideon to move and attack at speeds 3x faster and more powerful than he would with a normal sword; making it incredibly dangerous in the hands of the commanders it was handed out to. The model designation of the Ghirarga, "CW-AIM07X", stands for "Caledfwlch Anti-Magic Experimental Weapon 02". Shining Caliber (シャイニングカリバー Shainingu Karibā): A blade Vladimir found sometime prior to the events of Fairy Tail: Dawn. Very little is known about it as of the moment, as it is a blade he rarely uses it battle, saying the blade seems to reject all attempts to be risen at an opponent. Magic & Abilities Physical Abilities Ways of Combat Master Swordsmanship Specialist: When wielding his blade, Gideon sends himself into a trance, a unique state of mind that enables him to enjoy the fight, and relish the satisfaction of winning, releasing a constant and sizable stream of magical energy from his body, with a barely contained explosion of magical energy. When wielding his blade, his attacks appeared to be unconnected, his motions seemingly unpolished to an untrained observer. With his speed, it seems as if he is wielding many blades at once, moving too fast to see. His attacks flow into each other with incredible precision, forming a constant near-invisible weave of energy. It should be noted that if Vladimir is not completely allowing his instincts to overwhelm him, then he cannot display his skill properly, leading him to remain unable to execute his techniques. Gideon focuses on quick, precise strikes, always aiming to hit his opponent's vital points in battle; rarely, if ever missing his mark. He uses misdirection in his attacks and even though doing so allows for holes in his defense he is more than capable of making it up with surprise attacks. He uses heavy, lightning-quick blows which aim to inflict immense damage upon his opponents, and can even splatter limbs if enough force is poured into the strike. He is able to strike multiple times with changes of attack type (from slash to pierce) without any difficulty. *'Rasen no Tachi' (螺旋之太刀, Sword of Spirals): When using the Rasen no Tachi, Gideon focuses with utmost dedication, channeling his energy as well as the weight and force of his body, focusing it into a singular point- the tip of his blade while winding his arm up. This charges his sword with immense destructive power, multiplying the force and wounding power of his next attack ten times over; from there, he thrusts forward while releasing his sword arm, creating a drill effect with extreme force at high speeds, piercing through many a obstruction and tear through the air itself. The attack produced after utilizing this technique is capable of tremendous power, able to destroy even magical barriers and demolish a portion of a house from a distance with a single swing of his sword; even if he is not in close-range, the sheer amount of power produces powerful blades of wind which are capable of slicing from incredible distances with relative ease, enhancing the potential of this technique a hundredfold. *'Yuisen' (唯閃, Single Flash): In order to use Yuisen, Gideon reverse-grips his sword and focuses all of his magical energy at a singular point—the tip of his sword; before using the recoil of the magic charge to power up his cleave either forward, or with a spinning motion—in any case, the result it a powerful swing that, upon contact, causes a resonance with the foe's own magical energy, causing both to spike exponentially and smash together in a similar manner to a nuclear reaction, causing a decently-sized explosion that can do heavy damage to an opponent; the explosion does indeed multiply into seven other explosions; these explosions surround the enemy and detonate fiercely, giving them little to no chances of escape. The Yuisen technique possesses great force, capable of incredible amounts of destruction. In a sense, it is indeed visually stunning and flashy, yet it is very practical in that it's mechanics are simple, quick, and they allow many variations. Expert Hand to Hand Combatant: While more skilled in the art of wielding his blade, Gideon has shown to be a mildly adept unarmed fighter; attacking in a no-holds-barred fighting style, the purpose of which is to cause external damage and break bones. Gideon's fighting style is shown to be wild and unrefined; the reasons for which are that as an adept swordsman, he would not need to dirty his hands in the field of battle. Overall, his style of fighting involves smashing his opponents with extreme force, more often than not sending them flying as he punches and kicks them violently. Though he is shown to prefer using knee jabs and long, elegant kicks, though a downside to these high kicks is occasionally leaving him open; from which an opponent can attack him while he is in the arc of his attack. His kicks are able to harm magical bodies and cause severe damage to inanimate objects. Lastly, Gideon has a very hard head, which results in a very powerful headbutt, which is apparently strong enough to smash through magical barriers. Physical Attributes Immense Strength: 'As a Rune Knight, Gideon has recieved training in several fields, and being a physically capable fighter is one of the fields he was trained in; not of his own free will. The training he underwent, however, was undeniable successful as Gideon shows he is capable of performing feats of impressive strength with casual flair. This is displayed most often through wielding his weapon, a sword of great size and immense weight, due to how it is constructed, and yet Gideon is capable of wielding it easily, and with only a single hand, while maintaining balance. He even combines the weight of this blade with his own strength, utilising it for impressive downward strokes that can cleave cleanly through even steel. His physical blows take advantage of this crushing strength, and Gideon is easily capable of sending an opponent flying to distances in measurements of feet with enough applied force, as well as snap blades with a chopping motion. With enough force, even the ground can be cracked and torn apart by Gideon's blows, though he admits he lacks the necessary brute strength to cause true terraforming. '''Enhanced Speed: '''Gideon is noted to be possessed of a decent amount of speed, however, his mobility skills pale in comparison to several other cast members; breaking the mold of the lightning bruisers that seem to inhabit the world. Despite this, Gideon is not a turtle, and can move well when he has to, possessing decent evasion skills, but prefers to avoid risking this, and puts his speed into his reflexes instead. '''Enhanced Durability: ' Due to his fairly scrawny build, Gideon is lighter than other males, and can often be sent flying by powerful attacks. To counter this, he often uses the weight of Ghirarga as a counterbalance. Despite this light weight, he has had his body trained to be able to take varying degrees of punishment, though, like everyone, he has his human limits, and can be injured with enough force. However, due to his desire to protect what is important to him, he is often capable of overpowering his own sense of pain so that he can continue to fight. Because of his immense durability, Gideon is capable of withstanding a powerful cascade of magical beams without suffering any severe damage; and can take a S-Class Mage's magic blast without being scathed in the slightest; as can willingly collide with the attack while remaining unharmed all the while. Overall, Gideon is shown to be a physical monster, being touted as being capable of surviving almost anything and everything. Magical Abilities Sword Magic '''Sword Magic (剣の魔法, Ken no Mahō): Sword Magic is a type of Magic which, as the name itself suggests, is focused around the use of swords, with those weapons acting as mediums for Gideon to perform particular attacks. Many of such moves are shown capable of going past the physical reach of the blade employed in their use, threatening foes at short-to-mid range. Some Sword Magic techniques seem to involve the use of elements commonly found employed by elemental forms of Magic, such as Fire Magic; in addition, Telekinesis is shown to be frequently employed alongside it, in order for Gideon to maneuvre several swords at the same time. A number of different blades can be employed for such Magic, with the most recurring ones being longswords and katana. In some cases, certain moves might even involve the change of the sword's properties, such as its length. Sword Magic essentially allows Gideon's blade to produce flames thanks to Ghirarga, it causes the blade to glow a blazing crimson, unleashing fire-based attacks; focusing his magic through the sword in order to utilize it. *'Rekka Daizantō' (烈火大斬刀, Raging Fire Great Slicing Sword): When utilizing this technique, Gideon activates the special ability of his sword setting it alight with a blade of blazing wildfire, this serves to distract the opponent from his swings. The result is being simultaneously burned and slashed simultaneously, giving this attack great power. Lastly, this technique is nearly unblockable as the blazing blade can easily cut through steel. Furthermore, if an opponent is stabbed, the flames spread to their body, causing them to catch ablaze. Its slashes are capable of trailing large amounts of flames in its wake, which can damage the opponent. The moment that the sword makes contact with the foe via impaling them, the composition of the sword is altered to cause additional, smaller blades to protrude from the blade inside of the foe's body, drastically increasing the number of wounds dealt to the foe. Gideon can also launch multiple flaming swords to make a lancing-type move; where he directs the sabers towards his target, aiming to impale them with incredible speed and force. However, mid-flight, the sabers veer off wildly in different directions, homing in on different targets in order to attempt to take out multiple opponents at once. When making contact with the opponent, the sabers set them ablaze. By swinging his sword, he can throw the condensed flames against enemies that are far away. **'Hyakka Ryōran' (百火繚乱, Many Fires Profusion): An extension of Rekka Daizantō; swinging Ghirarga around multiple times, Gideon gives it look of a gigantic feather of flames, thus granting it tremendous cutting power, even enough to slice through magical barriers and numerous other defenses. As Gideon swings his sword with this in in effect, blazing feathers molt off of the blade, which cause small fiery explosions when they make contact with something. Once the technique has been initiated, Gideon unleashes a series of seven consecutive blows, slashing his opponent thirteen times in a ferocious multi-hit combo, each slash causing a gigantic fiery explosion upon contact with the opponent; when Gideon makes contact with the technique, the flames rise upward and form a giant pillar or wall of flames, sending the opponent upward while severely burning them at the same time. The final slash leaves petals of flame in its wake which then point towards the opponent, exploding in the form of a trio of small lasers that pierce the foe's body as a wall of flames erupts, covering Gideon and the opponent before Gideon emerges from the flames as it dissipates. This spell is more often than not, Gideon's finishing technique. Dark Ecriture Dark Écriture (闇の文字 (闇のエクリテュール) , Yami no Ekurityūru, lit. Writings of Darkness) is a Caster-Type Magic involving the usage of writing runes for various effects; this is a staple of Gideon's arsenal. It is a form of Letter Magic that allows him to write runes, while utilizing his sword in a similar manner to a pen for various types of effects. Essentially, the spells used for this Magic work only on what Gideon writes with it; in other words, what he writes goes as follows, making it a sort of "rule" in using Dark Écriture. The properties of the magic is centered on the writing of the runes; however, if rewritten correctly, the effects will change. The runes can be written on an object, person, or even in midair for the effects to take place. The runes can be written for different purposes, such as traps, and offensively can be cast upon an opponent to inflict either physical or mental injury. Gideon can also conjure an element for usage of this Magic, like poison. Death is also a possible effect. However, simple usage of this Magic that is convenient for him, such as teleportation or flight, can also be used. Another type of spell is actual transformation, in which Gideon is able to transform himself and be granted a different appearance, even strength. *'Teleportation': With this spell, Gideon is capable of teleporting as his body emits a bright light before dematerializing, breaking down into a multitude of runes that fade away. These runes then rematerialize at a different location, where they unite to form his body again. Using this ability, Gideon is capable of traveling over long distances in an instant, even in the midst of battle. When using this spell, Gideon is capable of attacking from multiple directions, each phantom as real and true as the original in their lethality. Gideon however can only achieve three temporal phantoms with this technique. Furthermore as Gideon exists simultaneously in three different positions, in order to hurt him, one must target all three at once, or no damage at all will be inflicted. *'Dark Écriture: Pain' (闇の文字・痛み, Yami no Ekurityūru: Itami): Gideon's basic spell when using this type of magic; with it, he gathers magical energy upon his sword and then begins to make several precise slicing motions with it in the direction of his opponent. Unbeknownst to them, Gideon is actually writing runes upon their helpless figure, which instantly activate the moment that he finishes writing, allowing him to inflict immense pain upon them. This spell can be used repeatedly to maximize the inflicted pain, with him slashing the enemy many times in rapid succession, and can also be employed as a long-range attack, with the written runes being sent flying at the opponent in small groups. *'Dark Écriture: Wings' (闇の文字・翼, Yami no Ekurityūru: Tsubasa): A supporting-type spell of this magic; to use it, Gideon mentally focuses while activating this magic; allowing him to write runes upon his back, allowing him to use magical propulsion in conjunction with magical particles, he is capable of achieving extremely high speeds while leaving behind a trail of visible after-images to confuse his enemies through flight, giving him enormous agility and maneuverability, darting around the skies at incredible speeds. The speed and after-images granted by this spell allow Gideon to effectively dodge the multi-directional attacks of numerous drones. Activating this attack causes a slip stream effect that allows Gideon to achieve speeds normally impossible him in any location. By charging the particles with magical energy this allows Gideon an additional defensive measure as well as immense propulsion. *'Dark Écriture: Reflect' (闇の文字・拒絶, Yami no Ekurityūru: Kyozetsu): With this spell, Gideon aims his sword towards an incoming projectile, and writes in the air, a singular rune. This rune spins chaotically—at the moment of impact, it gathers stray magical energy which floats about in the atmosphere converging it upon it's body, allowing it to gain extra strength as it reflects the attack instantaneously; the projectile bounds back to the caster swiftly, with the added magical energy that was gathered augmenting the attack's strength, speed, and other secondary qualities to the point that it is almost double the strength from when it was originally cast. The result of Dark Écriture: Reflect strikes so fast that it seems as if Gideon was the one who originally cast the spell in the first place. *'Dark Écriture: Boost' (闇の文字・高める, Yami no Ekurityūru: Takameru): Gideon writes runes upon his body; this generates a bonus effect, increasing the strength, speed, and potential he possesses tenfold, allowing him to take on even foes much more powerful than himself; entering a state of enhanced awareness and peak physical ability. This makes Gideon become cloaked in intense magical energy. While in this state, Gideon demonstrates heightened reflexes and extremely quick information processing, and it amplifies the powers of his magic without exhausting himself. However, Dark Écriture: Boost is a double-edged sword; it has a ten minute time limit, which, if passed, has serious consequences for both Gideon and his magical energy. This additionally generates a bonus effect that raises his chances of scoring a critical hit upon his foe; as well as enables him to regain a small amount of stamina and energy. *'Dark Écriture: Armament' (闇の文字・武装, Yami no Ekurityūru: Busō): By writing runes on his body, it grants Gideon inhuman defensive and offensive capabilities by allowing him to make energy flow directly into his blood vessels, drastically increasing his attack and defense power. However, despite the significant danger this potentially presents to his opponents, Armament possesses one major flaw in that the independent forms of the technique for attack and defense operate using two different reason systems, meaning they cannot be employed simultaneously. The defensive form of Armament grants Gideon inhuman durability, represented by a faint pattern tracing the veins beneath the surface of his skin, which is only visible on the afflicted area when struck. However, despite the considerable defense afforded by this technique, it seemingly isn't absolute and can be torn using sufficient power. The offensive form of Armament grants Gideon inhuman attack power. This technique is the only thing capable of ensuring that his attacks are able to significantly damage an incredibly powerful opponent. *'Dark Écriture: Obliteration' (闇の文字・閉塞, Yami no Ekurityūru: Heisoku): Gideon's most powerful single Dark Écriture spell, though it couldn't really be counted as a spell in the category of the magic at all. Gideon unleashes a powerful upwards slash upon the foe which drains an amount of magical power from them equal to the damage inflicted; there, he throws his sword up into the air, which is now spinning after the opponent—this halves any defensive measures that the foe has put up, in addition to halving their own natural defenses. There, he writes runes in the air, catches his sword quickly, and sheathes his blade. Though mid draw, he steps forward with the foot adjacent to the sheath. This dangers him by more often than not putting the adjacent leg into the path of his sword and even closer to his foe; bit on the other hand, this movement enhances the strength and speed of the next swing. From there, he steps into the small distance behind his drawn blade and in front of his opponent without fail, delivering a god-speed blow of overwhelming, monstrous power that has no equal. Quotes *(to Tsuruko, about Alexis) "That woman...she gave me the power to protect my treasure...and in doing so also became a treasure dear to me. Even if the darkness swallows her up, I will dive through it and drag her back out. No matter how many times it takes, I will protect her until I can no longer lift my sword. Let me help all of you." Trivia *The name "Vladimir" comes from Old Church Slavonic Vladimiru, "Ruling Peace," from vlasti "to rule over". The name "Gideon" comes from the Israelite judge and warrior in Old Testament, who led the Israelites against the Midianites; Hebrew Gidh'on, literally "feller," from stem of gadha "he cut off, hewed, felled." **Darkrai specifically named Vladimir after two people, specifically Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, as well as Jason Gideon, the latter of which being the same person from whom Jason LaHote was named after. *'Dark Écriture: Armament' is based on Blut of the BLEACH series. Category:Magic Council Category:Rune Knights Category:Rune Knight Category:Male Category:Original Character Category:Sword user Category:Sword Magic User